***LORIN AND DYLAN MOVE TO THE WALLIS' PLACE BLOG***

In spite of Zombieland hurtling their way, Lorin glanced sidelong at Dylan, �Dual stomach thunder.  Something prophetic about that, but I haven�t a clue what it all means.�  As if his words could precipitate prophecy, the clouds opened up above them and the rain slashed down from the heavens.  This was Louisiana, it was supposed to rain a lot.  But incessantly? 

Lorin�s stomach growled after Dylan mentioned food, which surprised him as he�d just offed that security guard back there.  But there wasn�t much that could deter the green guy�s appetite.  �Ok, so we have a plan.  Now we just need for it to come together.�  As Dylan piloted the Cadillac forward on the search for demons and whatnot, Lorin commented further, �Don�t know what to say about Boris the demon.  My guess is that he�s dissolved into the landscape.  Probably won�t be seeing his ugly mug anytime soon, whatever that mug looks like.  I suppose it might not be ugly. Who knows?� He shrugged.  �Hey, we could maybe make a stop at Raoul�s place � Demonic Delight � its about 2 miles from here? Remember?  We went there when we first got to Shreveport.  Its run by Merle�s cousin of something.  It�s mostly a Blues Bar, but they had that little Cajun Caf� in the back.  We could get some genuine Creole eats.�

Just as the thought of those flavorful Cajun dishes began to infiltrate Lorin�s head they rounded a corner and�Zombies, lots of �em.  Dozens, maybe hundreds, shambling hither and thither.  But as Dylan brought the Cadi to stop, the walking dead, en mass, swiveled their rotting attention towards them.

�Uh oh.�

Dylan had turned the big Cadillac around so they were headed away from the three gigantic, royally-pissed off hell demons, but her question gave Lorin pause.  He hadn�t thought about where to go now, only that they needed to power up the warp drive and blast outa here.  So they could return to the house on the hill, tell everyone they�d failed, that Krekci did a Houdini on them, jumped bodies and then vanished like Dorothy after she said, �there�s no place like home�.  Or�they could do what?  They could get themselves squashed flat by marauding Rotzmors.  They could make a beer run. Beer and pizza for the gang as penance for not getting the job done?  No, that would be too casual.  Maybe just a little reconnaissance before they went back?  They could cruise Shreveport a little, see how bad things are.

�How about this.  We go for a little drive around town before going back to the bat cave. We�ll count hell demons, maybe I�ll snap some pictures and a little video with my phone.  So we�re not complete failures.  Who knows, maybe you�ll even find something to kill.�

Lorin felt kind of bad about killing the guard.  The guy was human.  Probably just trying to get by, make a buck.  But he had pointed a gun at them.  Still�  Lorin glanced about the room.  They hadn�t accomplished much, except to kill a guy and let the demon escape via a creative and unusual way.  Lorin�s gaze stopped on a desk by the window.  A closed up laptop sat there.  And next to it was a leather-bound notebook.  This is the 21^st century, even demons use computers apparently.  And where there�s a computer, there are computer files.  Email messages, contacts, documents, spreadsheets, incriminating pictures, whatnot.  Lorin yanked the power cord from the wall, grabbed the laptop and the notebook and both he and Dylan headed for the door.  But Lorin stopped once more to pick the guard�s Raybans up off the floor.  They�d been knocked from his head when the automatic 9 mm slugs slammed into his chest.  Raybans are cool.

They pounded down the stairs that led to the alley, then ran across the street to the parked Lornemobile.  The guy who had been sweeping outside the Grinning Catfish Bar and Grill was on the sidewalk and yelled at them to stop.  Pretty ballsy of him considering there had just been automatic weapon fire upstairs.  Lorin flipped him the bird.  Donning the Raybans and tossing Dylan the car keys, Lorin slipped into the shotgun side of the front seat.  Dylan was soon cranking the engine to life.  �Step on it girlfriend!  We need to make like Mitosis demons and split!�  He peered down the street where three humongous, muscle-bulging demons, maybe 12 feet tall, were roaring like dragons and accelerating their way.  �But just between you and me, I think I�d go the other way.�

Lorin sat down on Krekci�s bean bag chair.  Bean bag chair?  Whatever.  And put his chin in his hands as his butt slowly sank into the beans, sort of like his optimism sinking into the muck.  Dylan mentioned that maybe Krekci jumped bodies.  �Jumping bodies?�  Lorin looked up.  �He could do that?�  Lorin extricated himself from the bean bag chair and went to the busted out window through which Dylan had entered.  He could see four people out on the street, all of whom were bustling, trying to get somewhere without getting too wet.  The guy who was sweeping up outside was gone.  Maybe to call the cops about the busted out window.  None of those four people looked Lorin�s way.  They didn�t look suspicious in any way. 

�How far can a demon jump?  I mean, could he jump four blocks, or does it have to be close? If its close, maybe we could find him.  If its four blocks, we�re shit outa luck.  In any case, we probably don�t have much time before Krekci slips away, even if he is close by.  And then if we do find him, how do we know its him?�

The door burst open in back of them.  It was the guard from downstairs.  Apparently he had another gun, because he was pointing it at Lorin.  The green guy ducked and rolled just in time � a bullet whizzed past his ear, then Lorin pulled the automatic 9 mm he�d had taken off the thug just a couple of minutes ago and unloaded about 10 rounds into the guy�s barrel chest.  He fell backwards and tumbled down the steps.

�We need to get this guy outa here before the security guard downstairs comes to.�  Lorin reached down and grabbed Krekci under the arms, �Dylan, grab his feet and we�ll carry him down the stairs.�  Once they got him outside, Dylan could tie him up while Lorin brought the Lornemobile around.  Then they�d load him into the trunk and off they�d go.  Or at least that was the plan.

So while Dylan went to shimmy up the drain pipe, Lorin shucked his coat up over his head as a make shift umbrella and headed towards the security guard at the bottom of the stairs.  He hoped the sound of the rain would mask whatever noise Dylan made while taking down Krekci, assuming she could take down Krekci.  Angel had said the guy was formidable, and Dylan was still sort of a slayer in training.  But she was by far their best shot.  And Angel did send them out here after him, so Lorin took comfort in knowing that the big brooding galoot must have had confidence that the girl could do the job.

Lorin took cover out of the rain under the eaves of the building adjacent to the bottom of the stairs.  He grinned at the security guard, who was probably 6� 4� and built like Schwarzenegger before he went soft and became the Governator.  Ominously, the guard wasn�t smiling.  In fact he had murder in his eyes.  But Lorin just grinned more broadly and remarked,  �Hey, crazy weather we�re havin, dontcha think?�  When the guy rolled his eyes, Lorin knew it was his chance.  He pulled out the taser and, hoping he wouldn�t electrocute himself in the rain, let Arnie Belushi have it.  He went down like a ton of bricks.  The bigger they are, the harder they fall, they say.  Not knowing how much time he�d have before the guy came to, Lorin relieved him of his gun � a fully automatic 9 mm pistol - then stormed up the stairs, kicked down the door and rushed inside.  Dylan was standing there next to Krekci, who was out cold on the floor.  �Good work!�  But then Krekci twitched.  Lorin zapped him again and shrugged.  �Just to be sure.�

�There are at least three exits for Krekci � out the front door of the bar and grill, down the outside stairs, and out one of the windows.�  The rain was coming down harder now and thunder rumbled distantly, like a grumpy volcano ready to blow its top.  �So, if you slither up the drain pipe and bust in through the window, out of the corner of your eye you can watch the front door.  I�ll go chat up Belushi and zap him a good one with my handy taser.�  They had two tasers, so Dylan would have the other.  �I�ll take the stairs and do my best to bust down the door, but the main assault will have to be you coming through the window.  Yelp or something if you see Krekci sneaking out the front.  Assuming we catch him off guard, then you�ll zap him one, after which maybe you can open the door for me.  If he stirs, we�ll zap him again.  Then I�ll pull the Lornemobile around and we�ll load him in the back seat.  After we tie him up, of course.� 

They exited the Cadillac and started across the street.  The guy in the dark suit and Raybans was trying to light up a cigarette in the rain.  Lorin whispered to Dylan, �Let�s do this thing.�

�I don�t know.  I�m conflicted. But it�s a congenital condition.  Hereditary.�  As they watched, the Blues Brother guy lit up a cigar in the rain.  �You�re a vampire slayer. You could probably take the thug.  But then Krekci might hear the commotion and be ready for us.  Or maybe he wouldn�t hear the commotion because of the rain.  Angel said he�s crafty, and we don�t know what sort of demony powers he might have.  So a stealth approach, catching him off guard would be best.�

�We could go in through the front door and find the stairs to the second floor, but could we do that without somebody noticing and alerting Krekci?  Maybe.  Maybe not.  We�d have to scout the interior first to get a better idea.�  Lorin rubbed at his chin.  �Or, you could slither up that drain pipe like a snake, bust the window out, and jump Krekci while I taser Belushi.  Then we take the unconscious Krekci down the stairs.�  Lorin shrugged.  �How about you?  Got a plan?�